News Release: Kelly Foley Earns First-Team Academic All-District Honors

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — Wittenberg University women's soccer standout Kelly Foley, class of 2011 from Dublin, Ohio, has been recognized for the combination of her athletic and academic accomplishments with first-team CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America College Division All-District IV honors.

October 30, 2009

Kelly Foley

Springfield, Ohio — Wittenberg University women's soccer standout Kelly Foley, class of 2011 from Dublin, Ohio, has been recognized for the combination of her athletic and academic accomplishments with first-team CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America College Division All-District IV honors.

This is the first Academic All-District IV award for Foley, a three-year starting defensive back for the Tigers. The selections are a result of online voting conducted recently by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Student-athletes who make the first-team in district voting will now be considered for Academic All-America awards.

Foley, a business and geology double major, was chosen for the team in part thanks to her outstanding 3.98 grade point average. A Dean's List honoree every semester thus far in her collegiate career, Foley has been very active around campus, serving as the Class of 2011 secretary and as a representative for Wittenberg's Emerging Leaders program. In addition, Foley has done volunteer work at a local pre-school.

A 2009 team captain and the women's soccer team's representative to the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Foley has helped the Tigers to another tremendous season. The Tigers head into Saturday's regular season finale at Transylvania sporting records of 9-3-5 overall and 4-2-2 in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC).

The Tigers are currently tied for second place in the NCAC, and they are assured of a spot in the 2009 NCAC Tournament, which begins with semifinal matches on Wednesday, Nov. 4. Wittenberg could finish anywhere from second to fourth in the final standings, pending the outcome of games between other conference contenders.

Foley is part of one of the stingiest defensive units in all of NCAA Division III for a third consecutive season. The Tigers have allowed just five goals in 17 games in 2009, while recording 14 shutouts, good for No. 2 in both the conference and all of NCAA Division III in team shutout percentage.

Foley has started 15 of the 17 games, including all 14 shutouts. She missed two games - both losses - due to illness. In her collegiate career, the Tigers have won an NCAC regular season title, two NCAC Tournament crowns and advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament in each of the last two years.

Written by: Ryan Maurer
Photos by: Erin Pence